Bullet
by BananaNutMuffinz
Summary: Brian doesn't know how this will end. But he knows for certain that if it's the choice between him or Rebecca, then there isn't a choice at all.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, CBS would rot in hell and Limitless would get its second season!**

 **And question: Where are all the Limitless fics at..?! (/:0)/**

* * *

It starts with a last minute request from Naz. All the sane, normal people have gone home already, so she's asked Brian and Rebecca to track down a potential lead for a case. It's been a long day, and technically they haven't even been assigned to this case yet, so neither Brian nor Rebecca is particularly pleased about it.

They shoot _rock-paper-scissors_ for who gets to take lead on it anyway.

Brian gives Rebecca a cheeky grin as he slides into the passenger seat. Rock beats scissors; it's his turn to be _the one who knocks_. There are no swanky hotels or clandestine meeting points in store for them today, however. Instead, they pull up to a run-down laundromat in one of the shadier parts of town. Brian balks. It's not a nice place to be at night, or at any time, for that matter.

It's Rebecca's turn to grin. "Rock beats scissors," she remarks smugly. Brian shoots her a halfhearted glare as he unfastens his seatbelt.

" _I am the danger,_ " he declares loudly, doing his best _Walter White_ impression as he climbs out of the car. Then he marches off towards the dilapidated building like One Serious Badass!, Rebecca following closely behind. Or at least closely enough behind that he can literally _feel_ the eye roll.

As they near the place, however, Brian slows. The streetlamp to the right is out, he notices, bulb hanging loosely from its fixture. And the laundromat, which should still be open, is completely devoid of customers. Brian freezes, hairs on the back of his neck standing up.

Something is very wrong here.

Brian motions for Rebecca to stay back, his eyes darting about frantically as he scans the area, taking in everything around him. It's only thanks to NZT that he sees it- the slightest flicker of movement.

There, lurking in the darkened street corner, is a man with a gun.

Brian's heart leaps into his throat around the same time his brain kicks into overdrive, and suddenly everything around him seems to slow down.

His mind immediately begins calculating bullet speeds and tracing flight paths. Within seconds, Brian has estimated ambulance response times, how many minutes away the nearest hospital is, the kind of damage a bullet at this range could inflict. He sees all the different scenarios, sees the man in front of them raising his arm to take aim, knows what's about to happen. What Brian doesn't know, however, is how this will end.

Life is too unpredictable, too full of variables, and even with the help of NZT, Brian will never be omnipotent. But what he knows for certain is that if it's the choice between him or Rebecca, then there isn't a choice at all.

Time speeds up again, and before Rebecca can react Brian darts forward, positioning himself between her and the loaded gun. There's a deafening thunderclap of noise and a fleeting split second of calm before he's thrown back and nearly off his feet.

He hears Rebecca shouting behind him (she sounds _pissed_ ), but before he can make out the words, the world tilts wildly and everything goes dark.

* * *

The next time Brian opens his eyes, he finds himself on the ground.

For one, brief moment, he lays there, feeling numb. _Shock_ , his brain supplies helpfully. _Shock is nice,_ Brian decides. Then awareness slams into him, and suddenly his chest is burning as though someone's lit it on fire. He gasps, choking as though his breath is being squeezed out of him.

His NZT-counterpart chooses that moment to appear. Counterpart-Ike is there, too, and he's got a fire extinguisher. It doesn't make any sense at all, but they're spraying him with foam before he can talk them out of it.

It doesn't work, of course it doesn't, and now Brian's shirt is all wet and sticky. He gags- they must have gotten it in his mouth because Brian can _taste_ it, too.

His counterpart shrugs apologetically. Counterpart-Ike looks truly distressed. "Sorry, man," he says.

Brian opens his mouth to say something, tell him it's the thought that counts, but it's not Ike standing there, anymore. Instead, it's Brian's teacher from the eleventh grade, and he's now standing at the front of a classroom. In his underwear. _Hasn't he had this dream before..?_

His teacher peers down at him over horn-rimmed glasses, face twisting into a scowl. For some strange reason, she looks exactly like Bryan Cranston...

"What do you think you're doing?!" She shrieks. Brian's father is there, too. The man shakes his head, disappointment clear on his features. "Always the slacker," he sighs. "You should give up already. Just _quit_."

The classroom erupts into laughter, and something in Brian's gut clenches. He turns away quickly, eyes burning.

 _Things are different now,_ Brian wants to say. He doesn't want to just 'quit'.

But the words echo in his head, growing louder and more insistent with each beat of his heart; blending together completely until all he can hear is a deafening roar. It surrounds him, suffocating him; filling all of his senses until he wants nothing more than to cover his ears and just _make it stop_...

And suddenly, there are hands are on him. Brain flinches away, but then the voice that follows them is real.

 _Rebecca,_ he realizes.

The relief is short-lived, however. Those hands press down, and pain explodes in his chest. He gasps, vision going white, and his breath catches in his throat as the roar hits him with its full force.

But this time, Rebecca is here, and she's saying something to him. The words flutter in front of him like the tail of a kite and Brian clings onto them with all he's got.

"...rian. Come on, look at me, _please_..."

It's the 'please' startles him- Rebecca's not supposed to sound that sad. Not because of him. Not ever.

Brian's eyes flutter open ( _when had he closed them?_ ), and Rebecca's face swims into focus. His gaze flickers up to hers, and she offers him a watery smile.

"That's it," she says. "Stay with me, now..."

Brian blinks, struggling to keep hold of this thread (because that's all it is, really). He forces himself to keep his eyes open, to stay awake, and it _hurts_.

But Rebecca is with him, now. Everything will be fine. _Rebecca knows what to do,_ he thinks. _She'll fix this._

Brian's breath hitches. His body jerks as his chest spasms violently, and for a split second that thread nearly slips out of his grasp. But there's a hand on his shoulder, holding him steady, and a voice in his ear telling him to _breathe_.

He's shaking badly now, tremors wracking through his frame, but Brian forces his eyes to stay open and fixed on Rebecca. It's disconcerting, actually, because for the first time since Brian's known her, Rebecca looks scared. But her jaw is set, and her gaze is locked onto something in the distance.

The hand on his shoulder shifts slightly, and Brian can't help the sudden feeling of panic that flits through him at the movement.

"D-don't..." he coughs weakly, "don't go."

"I won't," she replies, her voice thick. "But don't you dare, either."

"Okay," he whispers. _Okay_.

Without taking pressure off of the wound, Rebecca turns to look over her shoulder. She shouts at the thing in the distance, though this time, Brian doesn't stir.

Rebecca's got him. He's safe now. He'll be fine.

With this in mind, he allows his eyes to flutter shut- but just briefly. The roar has slowly begun to dissipate; words lost to the blessed sound of the ambulance.


End file.
